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European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 5/2014

01-08-2014 | Original Paper

Memories of attachment hamper EEG cortical connectivity in dissociative patients

Authors: Benedetto Farina, Anna Maria Speranza, Serena Dittoni, Valentina Gnoni, Cristina Trentini, Carola Maggiora Vergano, Giovanni Liotti, Riccardo Brunetti, Elisa Testani, Giacomo Della Marca

Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience | Issue 5/2014

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Abstract

In this study, we evaluated cortical connectivity modifications by electroencephalography (EEG) lagged coherence analysis, in subjects with dissociative disorders and in controls, after retrieval of attachment memories. We asked thirteen patients with dissociative disorders and thirteen age- and sex-matched healthy controls to retrieve personal attachment-related autobiographical memories through adult attachment interviews (AAI). EEG was recorded in the closed eyes resting state before and after the AAI. EEG lagged coherence before and after AAI was compared in all subjects. In the control group, memories of attachment promoted a widespread increase in EEG connectivity, in particular in the high-frequency EEG bands. Compared to controls, dissociative patients did not show an increase in EEG connectivity after the AAI. Conclusions: These results shed light on the neurophysiology of the disintegrative effect of retrieval of traumatic attachment memories in dissociative patients.
Footnotes
1
AMS has been trained at the AAI Training Institute of Rome, 1990, by M. Main and E. Hesse; CT has been trained at the AAI Training Institute of Rome, 2008, and CMV at the AAI Training Institute of Rome, 2010, by D. Jacobvitz and N. Dazzi.
 
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Metadata
Title
Memories of attachment hamper EEG cortical connectivity in dissociative patients
Authors
Benedetto Farina
Anna Maria Speranza
Serena Dittoni
Valentina Gnoni
Cristina Trentini
Carola Maggiora Vergano
Giovanni Liotti
Riccardo Brunetti
Elisa Testani
Giacomo Della Marca
Publication date
01-08-2014
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience / Issue 5/2014
Print ISSN: 0940-1334
Electronic ISSN: 1433-8491
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-013-0461-9

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